York Region politicians look for guidance with social media behaviour

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 20, 2021

York Region is ready to tackle the thorny issue of how politicians engage with residents on social media.

Regional council members asked staff for help guiding their social media use at a committee of the whole meeting Oct. 14, after an incident earlier this year involving Richmond Hill regional Coun. Carmine Perrelli.

Perrelli was found in breach of the region’s code of conduct for arbitrarily blocking a resident’s Twitter account.

In a report dated March 30, 2021, the region’s integrity commissioner ruled Perrelli’s action was done to silence dissent. The commissioner suggested regional council develop a policy framework for when, and how, members may block constituents.

This month's report from regional staff said blocking on social media platforms is an emerging issue for elected officials. A scan of other municipalities shows there is no consistent approach to guiding politicians.

Most municipal codes of conduct manage social media in the same way as any other interaction, the report said.

The City of Ottawa suggests members treat their social media accounts as extensions of their offices, blocking only as a last resort after consulting with the integrity commissioner.

In Barrie and Guelph, integrity commissioners ruled that council members have a right to feel safe from harassment, and in Edmonton, city council rejected a proposed social media policy governing blocking of residents, deeming it too difficult to police.

Initially, the committee was poised to accept the staff report without action. The current code of conduct is “principle-based” and already covers councillors’ conduct in a number of forums including social media, the region’s clerk told council members.

Blocking is not much different from the common practice of council stopping a delegation from going on too long at a public meeting, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said.

There are also ways for councillors to make their social media private if they wish to do so, he added.

Newmarket Deputy Mayor Tom Vegh cautioned that social media posts are fraught with dangers and difficult to govern.

A post about a park, for example, can be “swarmed by anti-vaxxers” from outside the region, “people trying to ride on your coattails" to reach a politician's followers, he said.

It may be difficult, Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said, but council members still need direction.

“These days, the majority of our conduct vis-a-vis the public is on social media."

To ignore the issue is an abnegation of responsibility, he said.

“Everyone’s talking all over the world about social media and the negative impacts it can have when not used properly. This is an issue that people are looking for leadership on. They’re worried about the environment their children are in, about the environment of … politics and hate speech online, and we’re going around it because it’s just too hard to do? ... We owe to ourselves to at least try.”

A majority of council members voted in favour of a motion by Taylor asking staff to develop social media guidelines or requirements for council’s consideration for inclusion in the code of conduct.

The matter goes to council for final approval later this month.